Hotels in Orlando - Are They Just Horrible?

Posted topic earlier about upcoming vacation at Universal Studioes and checked with booked hotel. I am NOT renting a car so location is important. I researched the hotels in the Universal - I Drive area and most are so bad I wouldn%26#39;t stay for free. The ones that are good seem to be on Universal Blvd but with no shuttle service. I am curious if Homesuites is REALLY as good as the rating as it is a chain hotel beating out the Ritz and Crowne Plaza? I cannot believe the way the hotels in Orlando are operating these days. I called the hotel I booked and asked 5 questions which all received invasive or negative responses i.e. shuttles up to Universal - times changes every week, pool bar - only open in summer I thought Florida was ';Summer';, pool area sunny = yes oh a positive, a renovated room - maybe might have a chance, as I am a member of their hotel, but who isn%26#39;t? so I might get to stay in one of the ';OLD'; rooms and hotel entertainment - a couple nights of Kareoke, I might as well stay home since I dont%26#39; even know how to spell it!! Where is there a nice clean hotel near Universal (which does have nice night life and I plan to spend most of time there) with a nice pool, and a late shuttle service. Taxis are fine if hotel is close to Universal. Of course I could pay $250+ and stay on site at Universal but for more problems? The on-site hotels don%26#39;t seem to get great reviews either. I am going to a Universal concert so will not consider any other area of Florida unless Jimmy Buffett was playing there. Any info appreciated. Thanks

Hotels in Orlando - Are They Just Horrible?

Hotels in Orlando aren%26#39;t horrible. But it seems like you are wanting the perfect hotel and that will be hard to come by.

Universal Blvd runs parallel to I-Drive, where you can access the I-Ride Trolley for a minimal charge. I believe their most expensive ticket is $10 for 14 days unlimited riding. The Trolley will take you to Universal and to Sea World. You will find that shuttles provided by the hotel do change every week, based on the operating hours of the park and the occupancy of the hotel. Also, the shuttles only run during normal park hours. If you are going to a special after hours event, they probably won%26#39;t be running. A cab would be your best alternative for the return trip.

During the winter months, there are fewer visitors and not as many people use the swimming pools at the hotels. That is why the pool bars are not always open. Even at Disney Resorts and Universal Resorts, you will find a lot of pool bars to be seasonal.

You will not find much in the way of entertainment at any Orlando hotel, other than perhaps a live musician in the lounge on the weekend. Most visitors will either be in CityWalk or Pleasure Island if they want night time entertainment, so there%26#39;s not much call for it. In fact, you will find more guests complaining about the noise if they do have it, so they just don%26#39;t.

Most rooms at Orlando Hotels are first come, first serve when it comes to renovated rooms. You can request one, but it is only a request. If you check in late in the day, they may all be taken. Typically the only guarantee a hotel will make is to give you either a smoking or non smoking room. Anything else, such as view, close to or far from elevator, etc., is considered, but not guaranteed. So while requesting a renovated room is the best way to get one, it doesn%26#39;t guarantee you%26#39;ll get one.

I would make a list of the absolute deal breakers as far as a hotel is concerned, and narrow your hotel choice down to three or four and then really research those choices to find one that meets the most of your needs. If you plan to be out late at Universal, you might want to reconsider staying on property. I have friends who just love staying at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Hope this info helps explain some of the answers you didn%26#39;t receive from your hotel. Enjoy your concert!

Hotels in Orlando - Are They Just Horrible?

fla4fun... what an absolute dead on on the money observation ...people who expect superior hotels and service should expect to pay for them.. the majority of the hotels on i- drive are clean reasonly priced and located primarily for tourists ..the likes of the ritz..carlton..rosen..peabody cater largely for the affluent and the conventions...there is an old saying... you pays your money and you takes your choice....

If you are going to limit yourself to one area of Orlando, you get what you get. My advice would be RENT a car for more options. Seems to me alot of people get on this site, and want to travel all over central Florida for free. Probably not going to happen anywhere in this country!

hi wutsnext,

i dont know where you got the idea that all of i-drvive hotels are bad. there are good and bad hotels all over the world, it all depends on what your budget is if you can afford why dont you go for the good ones on i-drive like the peabody etc. the homewood suiteson i-drive are good. really it all comes down to ones budget at the end of the day. and i am sure that a lot of of people will agree that i-drive is a hot topic many love it and many hate it. but on a good note it does have a lot of nightlife and good leating places that the kissimee and lbv.

thanks pam.

ps. by the way where are you from.

Hello wutsnext,

There are horrible hotels everywhere you travel and Orlando has some also. And no Homewood Suites doesn%26#39;t beat out the Ritz or JW Marriott by far.

We enjoyed the convience of staying at the Hard Rock resort when visiting Universal and the surrounding area. Yes, it%26#39;s pricey but it was great to be able to walk to Universal and the City Walk. It%26#39;s just like real estate, you pay for location, location, location.

One hotel that is outstanding and isn%26#39;t often mentioned on this forum as often as I think it should be is the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone staying in this area that is seeking a true 5-star hotel that is conveniently located to Orlando attractions and isn%26#39;t overpriced. The hotel has two outdoor pools (one is heated-probably intended for smaller children when it was designed), an atrium lobby, lush tropical gardens outside, and its own private pond! Everything is well-kept and the staff are friendly and provide their guests with outstanding service. The rooms are clean and comfortable but are not huge in size. While this hotel serves as a conference center, it equally serves as an ideal place for families visiting Orlando (especially families with children) to stay. The hotel even operates its own shuttle to/from the parks, which is usually reliable and on-time! If you stay at this wonderful Hyatt hotel and don%26#39;t like it, then something is wrong.

Oh yes sac, your absolutely correct! The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is a beautiful resort! The pools and grounds are stunning!

Not sure what your price range is, but regardless of what it is you won%26#39;t have trouble finding a nice place to stay in Orlando. There are tons of hotels in all price ranges with various amenities. You just have to be willing to pay for what you want. Many people have champagne taste, but a beer budget. Many people don%26#39;t travel much so have no idea what a really great hotel costs. Many people pay what they think should get them a ';perfect'; hotel, and are disappointed when it doesn%26#39;t. Many people are overly critical and find the bad in everything. Most people will post the bad before they will post the good.

I totally agree with the previous poster. I have stayed at many hotels in my life and have only had one bad experience so far. There have been a few places that I%26#39;ve stayed at that I just didn%26#39;t care for, but I have also had the pleasure of staying at some really nice hotels that reviewers on here seem to like too. The hotel that I had the bad experience with was one that I had high expectations for and unfortunately it turned out to be a place that was worse than the dickens. I have also been surprised in the opposite way when we when to Yellowstone and were told by others that the food there is deplorable and the cabins are rustic, and found the food and the cabins to be both satisfactory. Some people are just so picky and like to complain about every little thing. I do not by any means doubt that there are hotels/motels out there that are complete ';dumps';, but a person cannot go to a 2 or 3 star hotel and expect it to be a Ritz-Carlton or a 5 star resort.

We have narrowed it down to Crowne Plaza Universal and Doubletree Universal. May split between two as I do not know if transport between CityWalk and Crowne Plaza is easy? Please let me know. Again we are not renting a car and will rely on taxi back from Universal at night. Universal is where we will spend most days and late nights (Sat Mardi Gras %26amp; Concert night) so we want to be close. We will not have children with us so prefer a hotel that is more adult/business oriented but close to Universal. I also will be one my own a few days/nights so want to also be in a safe close location. I guess you can%26#39;t ask for everything. It seems when I pick a hotel then read the reviews they astonish me. We live in a suburb outside of NYC and definitely do not like to drive on vacation as we deal with crazy traffic everyday. We stayed at the Portofino Bay a couple years ago for 2 nights with a $150 night rate and loved it but that rate is not available anymore. We don%26#39;t want to pay $50 for a roach motel and can pay $100 plus but it seems a lot of the larger hotels such as Doubletree and Holiday Inn are under renovation and you have to hope you don%26#39;t get the ';old'; rooms. We travel several times a year in the U.S. and belong to every hotel chain progam and also have AAA and Entertainment which has saved tons of money. What is the status of Pointe Orlando? Is the Mexican Cantina and Hooters still open? We are thinking of checking out Fridays Front Row as that looks fun. Thanks for all the info it has helped me to narrow hotels down.